On Tuesday the 26th of October Prof. Mølgaard and Mr Frans Vollenbroek delivered lectures on European Climate Policy and the UM research agenda. The event was concluded by a 30 to 40 minutes panel discussion amongst UM professors about climate policy and what UM can do.

Peter Møllgaard (Dean of UM School of Business and Economics) talked about the danish climate and energy policies. Frans Vollenbroek (former strategist at VROM and European Commission where he led the resource strategy process) then looked back on the international environment focusing on the situation in the Netherlands. Where he explained that the Netherlands turned into a laggard in environmental policy, especially in climate policy, and gave attention to the different aspects in the current changing environment such as pollution of air, soil, and water. Frans Vollenbroek, called upon students to play their part.

Than a panel discussion took place amongst UM Prof. Dr. Mark Sander, Prof. René Kemp, and Jaap Bos. Students actively engaged in the discussion and wanted to know how and what they as students can do to reduce their carbon footprint? And what UM can do?

One possibility is to reuse carbon print and conduct further research on carbon policies and transition processes. According to Mr Frans Vollenbroek and Prof. René Kemp, the focus on climate policy has been too much on efficiency and too little on radical innovation and effectiveness. Fortunately, transitions to climate neutrality are gaining momentum. Generally, the momentum for climate action is changing. 

The panel concluded that when more and more people become part of the solution instead of part of the problem, transitions will occur and that many people at SBE focus on the issues of responsibility, resilience, and sustainability. The climate crisis can be used to build back a better world. This requires dedicated approaches, a different science (less reductionist, more integrative), and academic citizenship.

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